Anti-containment rally organizer who came forward for the People’s Party has COVID-19

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CHATHAM – The Chatham woman who led her fight against COVID-19 lockdowns to voters’ doors in the federal election says she has COVID-19.

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Liz Vallée, who ran for the People’s Party of Canada in Chatham-Kent-Leamington, posted a public video on her Facebook page on Monday evening confirming that she and her two children had tested positive for the virus.

Saying she has been in isolation at home since September 21, the day after the federal election, Vallee learned on Tuesday that the charges she faces under Ontario’s Reopen Act following a rally in Chatham in April against COVID-19 restrictions were postponed to November 17.

Vallée said she did not endanger the public during her campaign for the People’s Party. Fueled by its opposition to vaccine passports, masks and lockdowns imposed by health authorities to slow the spread of COVID-19, the party won more than 5% of the vote cast in the September 20 elections.

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“My infectious period would have started on Wednesday September 22,” Vallee said on Tuesday.

“I haven’t been outside the house or had any contact with anyone since Tuesday, September 21, other than being tested. This means that no member of the public or my campaign team was exposed to me during my contagious period. “

Opposing lockdowns imposed by the province to curb the spread of COVID, Vallée said she released her video in response to social media posts discussing her family’s health information.

“Unfortunately, someone took it upon themselves to post inaccurate information about my 10-year-old daughter on a public social media forum,” she said in the video. “On Saturday September 18, our 10 year old daughter made us realize that she was a bit drunk and that she was coughing and sneezing.

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“Our daughter regularly shows signs of seasonal allergies and we believe her symptoms are consistent with these allergies.”

After her son started showing possible symptoms of COVID, the whole family was tested for the virus using rapid antigen testing. While her children tested positive, Vallée said she and her husband tested negative. She came back negative during confirmatory testing organized by Chatham-Kent Public Health, she said.

She started suffering from mild symptoms on Friday, September 24, was retested and confirmed positive on Sunday.

“The rapid test results allowed them to move quickly and take appropriate precautions with all people (children) they came in contact with,” Vallée said. “We apologize for the upheaval this has caused. “

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Vallée was fourth in the Chatham-Kent-Leamington race which was won by the Tories’ Dave Epp. She won 14.4 percent of the vote and edged out the third NDP candidate by 115 votes.

Vallée was indicted earlier this year under Ontario’s Reopening Act after Chatham-Kent police responded to a rally in mid-April against COVID restrictions attended by 30 people. Police said they told the rally organizer about provincial meeting restrictions – which, at the time, limited outdoor gatherings to five people – in an attempt to educate the crowd.

Charges were laid a day later when 50 people gathered at the same location for a second protest, police said.

A spokesperson for Chatham-Kent Public Health said he could not discuss the details of Vallée’s case due to privacy concerns.

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“Our contact management team. . . (treats) every case the same, ”said Jeff Moco. “We find out where people have been and where they have been. . . . We have to trace it. We have to test it. We have to isolate it.

The health unit encourages everyone to take appropriate precautions, including getting a COVID vaccine, physical distancing and masking, to limit the spread of the virus in the community, Moco said.

Vallée implored the audience to be “kind to each other” in her video post.

“My family, unlike me, is not involved in politics and shouldn’t have to worry about posting their private medical information online,” she said.

“When other members of our community see the negativity and hatred directed at those who have contracted the disease, it only creates a significant reluctance to go for testing. And then they may be more adept at masking the symptoms. “

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